


Show Me Your Love

by steverogerstrash (theyvegotthisspellonme)



Series: Collar Full [1]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam Parrish & Blue Sargent Friendship, F/M, Kid Fic, M/M, Single Parents, more characters likely to be added as i write more, starts pre-pynch but we'll get there i promise, they're bros and i love it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2019-10-31 07:55:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 11,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17845448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyvegotthisspellonme/pseuds/steverogerstrash
Summary: Adam is trying his best, turning to Blue and Gansey for help when he needs it, though he tries not to need it very often. Until he meets Ronan Lynch, who reminds him that it's okay to ask for help when you need to, and sometimes when you don't.





	1. Blue and Gansey: Year One

**Author's Note:**

> hello! i said in a warmup fic a little while ago that i liked this universe and, as such, would be continuing to write in it, so here is the beginning of the next part! 
> 
> this fic will follow the lives of Blue and Gansey, Adam, and Ronan as they interact with each other and will be posted (hopefully) regularly in parts. the good news is that i have the first three parts (including this one) written already. as of right now, i'm gonna aim for mondays. 
> 
> also, this is dedicated to one of my very best friends, who introduced me to the raven cycle hell that i currently reside in. this is all your fault :*
> 
> enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a little longer than the next two by virtue of having a little more to set up for the rest of the fic. stay tuned!

It was pouring the day that Blue Sargent married Richard Campbell Gansey III, but that was okay. Maura had told them it would be, and they’d planned accordingly. As Blue’s maid of honor, though, Adam Parrish was concerned. 

“But you wanted to take pictures outside.” 

“We might anyway.” Blue shrugs. “After the ceremony.”

Adam stares at her. “But the dress.”

“Not gonna wear it again.”

“Hair?”

“Don’t care. And don’t even start on Gansey’s tux, he doesn’t care either.”

“Fine.” Adam takes a deep breath. “I just want you to be happy.”

Blue smiles at him and turns back to the mirror. She knows Adam means well. He’s been her best friend for a long time, especially if you ignore the time they’d tried to date. (It had been Adam’s idea, because they were both a little sad and more than a little desperate. And besides, everyone thought they were dating anyway. Gansey had found it weird at first, but had learned to laugh at it with them after they’d explained how poorly it went). 

“Ready?” Blue asks. Adam looks up at her. 

“You look fantastic. But are you ready?”

“I’ve never been more ready for anything.”

“Then it’s time.”

Blue had picked the venue, and you could tell, Adam thought. It was a place that was more personality than perfect, which made it, well… perfect. Nothing looked out of place, not even Gansey in his perfectly tailored suit standing under an archway that looked like it had been decorated by some of the younger residents of 300 Fox Way (and it had been, after Blue rescued from an antique store). 

The wedding goes off without a hitch (as Calla said it would). Gansey’s friend Henry gives a fantastic best man speech, which Adam follows by making everyone cry. 

“And, as Gansey once said, he loves Blue, and that’s all there is.”

\--//--

Blue stared down at the test in her hand, specifically at the two little lines on it. She blinks. Blinks again. 

“Gansey,” she calls. “Come here for a minute.”

“Is everything okay?” He asks, pushing the door open. Blue hands him the test. He blinks at it. Blinks again.

“Are you… does this mean…?” He can’t finish the question, but the look on his face is  _ everything _ .

“Yes. Yes!”

“You’re pregnant! We did it. We’re gonna have a  _ baby _ , Jane.”

“Yeah, we are. A baby.” 

They sit there for a while, on the cold tile of the bathroom floor, not talking. Every so often, one of them will whisper the word “baby” and they’ll grin at each other.

“We’re gonna be great at this.” Blue decides. She stands up then extends a hand to Ganesy. “Also, we need to call my mom.”

“Yes. Yes, that’s what we do next. Right.” Gansey takes her hand, nodding as he stands up. “Right. Parents.”

“Parents. Then friends.”

“Yes, we have those.”

\--//--

Gansey, of course, accompanies Blue to as many of her doctor’s appointments as he can, which is nearly all of them. But the one he misses is the one where Blue learns that they’re having twins. 

“How was your appointment?” Gansey asks, voice tinny over the phone speaker. 

“Fine.” Blue answers, poking at the fruit leftover at the bottom of her yogurt. She wishes she could tell him in person, but he’d had to go back to DC for something involving his mother’s campaign for president. 

“What aren’t you telling me?” He asks. He doesn’t sound worried, though, which is good. She doesn’t want him to worry. 

“Well,” she starts.

“Is it a bad thing? Do you need me to come home?” Gansey interrupts. 

“No! Stop worrying. It’s nothing bad.”

“Then what is it? Why won’t you tell me?” He’s almost whining and, honestly, Blue is loving it. 

“It’s twins.” She admits, biting back a smile. 

“Twins. We’re… two babies. We’re having twins! Helen!” He’s yelling now, mouth still too close to the speaker. 

“Babe.  _ Babe.  _ Gansey. You’re yelling.”

“Wha- oh, sorry, Jane. Okay, I have to go, but I’ll talk to you later. I love you.” 

“I love you too.” They don’t say it all the time, but every time they do it fills Blue with this warm feeling that she doesn’t get from anything else and can’t really describe. She’s pretty sure he feels the same. 

Blue wanders over to the couch, resting a hand on her stomach thoughtfully. She and Gansey are having  _ babies _ . Twins. 

“I love you, babies.” She says, out loud just to see how it sounds. And because she means it. 


	2. Adam: Year One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter two! i hope to have chapter three up next monday, but i'm still tweaking it and i'll be super busy this week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> excuse my use of an OFC here, she won't be around super long don't worry

Adam meets Molly at a bar. She comes up to him, which is flattering, and they sit and talk for what feels like minutes but is actually hours. At the end of the night, she gives him her phone number. He calls her the next day. 

They go out quite a few times in the following weeks. It’s summer, so Adam has the time to take her on long walks through the park or out of town for a day or two. After dinner one night, Adam asks her to be his girlfriend (Blue had always told him never to assume these things). Molly says yes. He walks her back to her apartment and kisses her goodnight, and Molly tells him that next time, she’s not letting him go so easily. 

Classes for Adam start on a Tuesday. That Thursday, he meets Blue for lunch. He’s distracted, and he knows it, and he knows that she can tell, but they make it through most of the meal before Blue brings it up.

“So,” she starts, putting her fork down and looking directly at Adam. “Who are you waiting to hear from?”

“Oh. Um. Molly.” He admits. “She started her classes today.”

“And who is Molly?” Blue asks, eyebrows raised. 

“She’s my girlfriend.” Adam can’t contain the grin that spreads across his face. 

“Ha! I knew you were seeing someone. You’ve been less needy.” She adds in response to the look on Adam’s face. He opens his mouth to protest, but just shrugs. She’s not wrong.

“I’m happy for you, Adam. But if you don’t want me to tell anyone... “ She trails off. Adam shakes his head.

“You can tell Gansey, he laughs, “it’s not a secret or anything.”

“Then why haven’t we met her?”

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. And now we’re both busy.”

“Okay, well, you two figure out a night that works for both of you, and you’ll come over for dinner. And you’re not getting out of it.” She means it to be threatening, and Adam figures it might have been if he hadn’t known her for almost forever. As such, he just grins at her.

“Of course.”

“I mean it, Parrish. You and Molly are coming over for dinner.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll talk to her. I’ll let you know.”

And he does. Talk to her, that is, maybe a week after his lunch with Blue (she had been nagging him ever since, but he hadn’t really seen Molly in the interim). She doesn’t have a free night for another month, but they make it work. Adam calls Blue, who promises to put it in her calendar.

“And I won’t forget.”

“Yeah, okay, Sargent. Hey, why don’t you do it now, while we’re talking about it?” He’s heard about pregnancy brain, and Blue had been scatterbrained even beforehand. Adam thinks it’s a product of growing up with people who try to exist in several different times all at once. 

“Don’t be an asshole, Parrish. I’ve had a long day.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Will you talk to Gansey about it later?”

“Probably not.”

“Well, you’ve gotta pick, Blue. Talk to one of us.”

“Fine. I’ll tell Gansey about it when he gets home later. He’s teaching late tonight.”

“You know we only push this because we care about you.”

“I know, I know.” She sounds like she’s trying to be annoyed, but Adam isn’t buying it. “Thank you.” She adds. Adam grins.

“Anytime.” They chat for a few more minutes, then Blue hangs up, citing the headache she’d been nursing all afternoon. Adam sets down the phone as Molly knocks on the door. Adam get up to let her in. When he opens the door, she holds up a takeout bag.  

“You’re an angel.” Adam tells her.

“Flatterer. You’re only saying that because I brought you a burrito.”

“Do you really think so little of me?” He asks. He presses a kiss to her mouth, then takes the bag from her. 

“You change, I’ll deal with dinner.”

Molly rolls her eyes at him but relinquishes the paper bag and moves deeper into Adam’s apartment. She comes back wearing a pair of Adam’s sweatpants and an old t-shirt that probably used to belong to Blue. Adam is struck by how beautiful she is. 

“You’re gorgeous, babe.” He’s being serious, but Molly rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Let’s eat.”

They eat their burritos in pleasant silence. Adam queues up another episode of whatever cooking show Molly’s been into recently - a low pressure one where everyone seems happy and helpful. When they’re done, they collapse onto the couch and studiously do not talk about their classes. This is their ritual, the part that keeps them sane. In the next room, there’s a stack of engineering textbooks nearly as tall as the desk they sit next to, but that doesn’t matter right now. Tomorrow, Adam will go back to them, and Molly will go home and study from her stack (they figured out early on that neither of them got much done if they tried to study together). After a few episodes of yet another cooking show, after Molly has fallen asleep, Adam collects their mugs from the coffee table and, after putting them in the sink, gently wakes Molly and leads her to bed. 

  
  



	3. Ronan: Year One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's Ronan!

Ronan is regretting agreeing to let Declan have his wedding reception at the Barns, if nothing else because  _ someone  _ is gonna fuck up the grass. He’s put effort into that grass. Put effort into the entire property, really (Niall hadn’t given Aurora much reign to do anything with it, though she’d done her best. When Ronan took over, shortly after his parents’ deaths, he’d had to start with making everything green again). But Matthew said it might be a good idea, a way to bridge the gaps leftover from their angry teenage years. An olive branch, Matthew had called it. Ronan has never been able to say no to him. 

But now, as he’s watching people set up a dance floor in one of the cleaner barns, Ronan wishes he had. The reception was supposed to be outside, but it’s Virginia and they’re calling for rain. So Ashley made the call and told Declan, who told Ronan, but not far enough in advance that the big barn would be ready. So they’ll be a little squished.  _ Hopefully _ , Ronan thinks,  _ Ashley won’t notice.  _

The party turns out to be nice, though, to Ronan’s surprise. It does rain, enough to keep people inside, but not too much, that the grass is soaked through and the ground is muddy. The barn was decorated to perfection, which Ronan himself had little to do with, but Ashley thanked him for anyway. The two of them have never gotten along, which may be a product of Ronan’s volatile adolescence, but she’s trying. Ronan himself is… trying to try. He’s pretty sure that both Declan and Ashley know that. 

\--//--

Ronan loves living at the Barns, loves coaxing it back to being a fully functioning farm after his father had left it practically abandoned. Niall had wanted all three of his sons to follow in his footsteps, to go into banking, and Declan had, but Aurora had instilled a deep love of nature in her younger sons. It was, after all, her farm. 

But it’s nice to go into town sometimes, too. Ronan drives the BMW that he inherited from his father when he was seventeen, so he doesn’t feel too much like a stereotype - though his upbringing and education probably wouldn’t allow for that either - most often to get lunch with Matthew. There’s an old pickup in one of the barns that the farmhands use when they need to get supplies. 

Matthew is waiting outside for Ronan, relaxing on a bench and basking in the late summer sun. This is probably the last time Ronan will see him before he goes back to Boston for his senior year at Harvard, and Ronan will miss him. He might even say so. 

He parks the car, then joins his brother on the sidewalk.

“Where are we going?” Matthew asks. He doesn’t stand up or open his eyes. 

“Thought you would choose, since you’re leaving again soon.”

Matthew turns to stare at him for a moment. 

“I knew you cared about me.” He teases. Ronan rolls his eyes. 

“Yeah, don’t tell anyone.”

“Secret’s safe with me.” Matthew’s grin is infectious. Ronan reminds himself that he needs to spend more time with his younger brother. 

“And I know you care about Declan, too.” Matthew adds. Ronan’s response is unintelligible. 

“Come on. You do.” Matthew needles. 

“Yeah, okay. We don’t have to talk about that either.”

Matthew’s grin widens impossibly as he stands up. He reaches over to hug Ronan, and, if it were anyone else Ronan would have flipped them over the bench by now, but it’s Matthew, who is quite possibly Ronan’s favorite person on the entire planet (he will not be telling Matthew, that, however. The kid doesn’t need an ego). 

“What are we eating?” Ronan asks. 

“I have an idea.” Matthew’s grinning again. Ronan grins back. 


	4. Blue and Gansey: Year Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue and Gansey and babies!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update!! i have been hella busy today, and last week was my spring break, but my friend came down to visit so i have been all over the entire city of New Orleans in the last week and left with no time to write  
> but i was determined to update today, and here it is! i hope you enjoy! much love

Gansey can’t contain his smile as he leans over to brush Blue’s hair off her forehead. Her head is tilted back, her eyes closed. She’s exhausted, clearly, and Gansey isn’t sure if he’s ever loved her more than he does right now, in this moment. Doesn’t know if he’s ever loved anyone as much as he loves her. 

That changes, though, when the nurse hands him baby Ella. He can tell, too, by looking at Blue, that she feels the same way. She’s holding little Noah close to her chest, murmuring softly, quietly enough that Gansey can’t hear what she’s saying. 

Later, when Adam comes to pick them up from the hospital, Gansey asks her about it. Blue shrugs. 

“I was telling him how much I love him. I told Ella the same thing.” By that time, he had been too wrapped up in the fact that he’s a father now, that there are two whole people that depend on him to  _ live _ . It’s an overwhelming feeling, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. He can tell by the glance he exchanges with Blue that she feels exactly the same. Gansey sits in the front seat, next to Adam, leaving Blue to sit between the carseats in the back. She still looks exhausted, but Gansey can see what they mean when they talk about how new moms just glow. In his admittedly biased opinion, she’s never been more beautiful, but he thinks that every day. 

The ride back to the house is uneventful, Blue murmuring to the babies, voice inaudible over the radio playing softly over the speakers. Adam keeps glancing back at her, and Gansey understands the feeling. It’s amazing to him that the babies are here, finally here, where Gansey can touch them and hold them and tell them he loves them more than anything in the world. 

\--//--

Gansey doesn’t want to say that living with the twins is a nightmare. It’s not. It’s just approximately… a lot more stressful than he anticipated. He loves the babies, loves Noah and Ella with his whole heart. But dealing with small children is a lot, Gansey learned that when Helen asked him to babysit once, and now he has two of his own. 

He and Blue talk about it sometimes, how exhausted they are, how much they love their babies anyway. 

“And besides,” Blue likes to remind him, “it’ll get better when they’re older.”

And it does. The twins start sleeping through the night when they’re approaching six months, and Gansey and Blue go on their first date since before they were born shortly after. 

“Shall we, Mr. Gansey?” Blue asks, opening the door. Gansey rolls his eyes. Behind them, Adam and Molly are sitting on the floor with the twins, looking for all the world like there’s nowhere else they’d rather be. Both Blue and Gansey are eternally grateful for them, for the help they’ve provided despite their busy schedules.

“Go!” Adam calls. When Blue turns around, he isn’t looking at either of them. “We’ve got this. We’ll call if anything goes wrong, but it  _ won’t _ . Go have fun.”

Blue sighs, but pulls Gansey out the door and closes it behind them. 

“So where are we going?” She asks. 

“I thought we could get some dinner, then maybe take a walk by the river?”

“That,” Blue says, turning to face him, “sounds perfect.” She leans up on her toes to kiss him then turns to get in the car. Gansey grins after her, affection written on his face. They’ve been married almost three years, had dated for what seemed like forever before that, but he would never be used to her, to the way she’s so open with her love, but only with the people that she’s deemed worthy. Gansey loves her more than anything. 

They get dinner at what has, over the years, become their favorite restaurant. The owner greets them with a wink, then sends over a bottle of wine that they could afford but Blue would never accept. Later, after they’ve eaten, she stops by and asks after the babies. Gansey loves the way that Blue lights up when she gets to talk about them, when she describes how Ella likes to chew on her favorite stuffed animals and Noah just watches her, curious. Gansey chimes in with how Noah has started to figure out how to crawl, that they’re starting to move on their own. 

\--//-- 

Blue turns the key in the lock slowly, like Ella or Noah would hear from the nursery upstairs. Or maybe Adam and Molly, though Gansey is pretty sure they’ve migrated to the guest room by now, where there’s a full bed and a TV and a desk, because both Adam and Molly are still in school and have the workload and the schedule to match. This is the first time they’ve been able to babysit, and will probably be the last for at least a few weeks (Blue and Gansey may have taken more advantage of that than they should have tonight, but they’re pretty sure that Adam and Molly don’t mind). 

Sure enough, the lights are off downstairs, even in the living room. When Blue makes her way upstairs, Gansey pausing for a glass of water in the kitchen, the light from the guest room is shining from under the door. Blue knocks, waits a moment, then pushes the door open. Adam looks up at her from the desk, eyes bleary, then brings a finger to his lips. He nods towards Molly, who is sleeping on the bed, head resting on the open book in front of her. Blue steps into the room, quiet as she listens to Gansey step into the nursery. 

“You need to sleep, too.” She whispers, putting her hands on her hips. Adam shrugs.

“Test next week.” Is all he offers. Blue scowls at him. 

“Fine. But we’re staying here.”

“Obviously.” Blue scoffs. “See you in the morning, Parrish.”


	5. Adam: Year Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and we peek in on Adam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update again i'm... struggling lol

Adam stares at his textbook for another minute or two before giving up. He wakes Molly up just enough for the two of them to arrange themselves in bed before dropping off himself.

He wakes up alone to the door left open and the smell of something delicious in the air. He checks the time, it seems to be pretty late in the morning and there’s stuff he needs to do today, even if it’s supposed to be his day off. But first, he decides, pulling himself out of bed, he’s going to eat some of whatever is being made downstairs. 

Adam can hear Blue talking to the babies in the nursery as he walks down the hall, tone bright and happy. He smiles to himself, glad that she’s so happy. He can only hope that things work out as well for him and Molly.

“Molly took your car to go… somewhere. She said where, but I didn’t quite catch it.” Gansey says in lieu of a greeting when Adam walks into the kitchen. Adam nods, he’d figured as much. Her study group meets several times a week, even on weekends. 

“Smells good.” Adam says, moving around Gansey to pour himself a cup of coffee. 

“Chocolate pancakes. They’re Blue’s favorite.” Gansey admits. He pauses to pull a tray of bacon out of the oven. “We can’t thank you guys enough for babysitting last night. You have no idea how much we needed that.”

“We had a good time. Your kids are easy.”

“For you, maybe.” Gansey laughs. “It’s… it can be a lot. But we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I can tell. But anytime you need us, you know where we are.”

“Thanks, it means a lot. But I know you’re busy, too.” 

Adam doesn’t bother denying it, Gansey and Blue know his schedule almost as well as he does at this point. 

Blue comes downstairs shortly after Gansey finishes cooking, like she’s been summoned by breakfast. 

“The babies have been fed.” She announces before pressing a gentle kiss to Gansey’s mouth. “Parrish, how’d you sleep?”

Adam shrugs, mumbles “fine” through a mouthful of pancake. Blue rolls her eyes. Later, she’ll drive him back to his apartment so he can get his work done in peace, but for now, he’s enjoying the relative chaos. 

\--//--

Adam is mildly concerned. Molly had texted him earlier saying that she needs to talk to him, that it’s important. A few minutes after that, she texted him promising that she wasn’t breaking up with him, which honestly hadn’t occurred to him until she brought it up. That says something, Adam thinks, about the security of their relationship. 

The sense of vague anxiety follows Adam though the day, because while Molly might not be breaking up with him, she didn’t say that the important thing is a good thing. But he keeps it to himself, he doesn’t need other people projecting their concerns on his relationship for him to worry about on top of it all. Even when he talks to Blue on the way home, he keeps the focus on her and Gansey and the babies. Adam knows that she can tell he’s doing it on purpose, but she doesn’t press him, knows that he’ll talk to her when he’s ready. And he will, probably. Depending on what it is. 

Molly is waiting on his apartment when Adam gets home. She’s fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, the pillows on the couch. She won’t look at him, despite having looked up when the door opened. Adam’s mild concern intensifies. 

“Molls? You okay?” He sits on the couch next to her. After a moment, Molly turns to face him. 

“My period was late. Not super late, I wasn’t concerned or anything. But it kept being late. And then it had been two and a half weeks. And it’s never been that late before.” She pauses, takes a breath , collects her thoughts. “So I scheduled a blood test. They make it easy for the students, you know.”

“Molly, what are you saying?” Adam asks. Molly meets his eyes for the first time since he came in.

“I’m pregnant, Adam.  _ We’re  _ pregnant.” 

“Oh. Oh my god. This is… wow. This is a good thing.” He pauses. “This is a good thing, right”

“Apparently.” Molly laughs. “No, it is. I’m glad you’re as excited about this as I am. To be totally honest, I was worried. I know we haven’t talked about this…”

“Hey, no. I’m in this for the long haul, Molls. Do… do you want to get married?” They haven’t talked about that, either, but they haven’t been dating quite long enough for it to have come up, really. 

“I mean, I don’t think it’s necessary.” Molly hedges. Adam can tell that she wants to say no. 

“It’s okay if you don’t. I just thought I would put it out there.” And Adam isn’t sure how he feels about the relief that washes over her face, but he pushes the thought away for later. That’s not what’s important right now. 

Molly stays over that night. They talk some about how this would change things - Molly doesn’t want to move in to Adam’s apartment, which makes sense. He lives where he needs to, near the university where he’s taking his classes, but that’s halfway across the city from where she needs to be every day. And while she doesn’t live all the way over there, she lives much closer to the necessary public transit stops. She doesn’t offer for him to move in with her. 

Eventually, she claims exhaustion, then pulls Adam away from his books so he’ll sleep some tonight. 

“We’ll work it out tomorrow.” She promises. Adam nods. He stopped hearing words a while ago - he hadn’t slept well the night before, and spending the day anxious is exhausting. 

He wakes up alone.  


	6. Ronan: Year Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronan goes to visit Declan and Ashley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like this is kind of ooc for both Ronan and Declan but I have a lot of feelings about them getting over the things between them and being friends again, so i made it so
> 
> also, i'm sorry that this is late, but there was a lot going on yesterday

Ronan does not want to be here. He knows its making Matthew happy, but there’s a reason that Ronan moved away from DC. He hates all of the bullshit politics that their father was wrapped up in, that Declan is wrapped up in, of his own accord. But he owes this, he thinks, to his brothers. To try harder to repair the relationships that their father tried so hard to break down. So he drives into DC in his father’s BMW with a change of clothes hanging in the back, because Declan and his wife invited Ronan to their baby shower and Matthew asked him to go. Ronan considers that maybe he should listen to Matthew less.

But he’s right this time. Ronan should go to the baby shower. He wants to get along better with Declan and Ashley. And, according to Matthew, Declan wants that too. Nothing better than a baby to bring them together again. So Ronan pulls on a button down shirt in Declan’s driveway, ties his dress shoes, and does not complain about it. Too much. 

The event is… charming, Ronan supposes, if you run in the circles that Declan and Ashley do. Personally, he finds it a little over the top, but he’s been living happily on a working farm since he graduated high school. 

_ Declan had tried to get him to at least apply to colleges, but Ronan was adamant. He knew what he wanted to do and he was certain that he didn’t need a degree to do it. Declan had argued with him, telling him that he’ll change his mind someday, that he’ll regret not going to school with his friends.  _

_ “I don’t have friends.” Ronan snapped, words short.  _

_ “Because you don’t try.” Declan’s voice was low, his intention to be cruel. Ronan doesn’t dignify that with a response. And part of it is that he doesn't try. But the other part is that the people he interacts with, the people at school, are all the same. All like Declan. And that’s the opposite of what Ronan wants to be.  _

Part of the improvement in their relationship is that both brothers are happier now, out of a school environment and farther away from each other. When they went to school, they saw each other too often, spent too much time together because, truly, Ronan didn’t have anyone that he actively wanted to spend time with. Declan, Ronan thinks, is best loved from afar. He’s pretty sure that Declan feels the same about him. 

“Ronan!” Declan calls. The smile on his face looks genuine. Ronan returns it. “You made it.”

“Sorry I’m late. There was traffic.” Ronan offers. Declan nods, accepting it. It’s true. I-95 was backed up to hell. Ronan would have called ahead, but he would’ve gotten an earful about distracted driving. Now, Ronan knows that Declan means well. Five years ago, it would’ve come from a place of spite, and Ronan would’ve done it again just to piss him off. He’s proud of how far they’ve come. 

Ashley drifts over to greet him, holding a champagne flute full of water. Ronan doesn’t comment, he knows that watching her friends down mimosas must be killing her. 

“How are you feeling?” Ronan asks. Ashley shrugs, but she’s grinning. 

“Could be worse. I know it’ll be worth it, which makes it more bearable.” Ronan nods like he understands. She sees right through him. 

“We really appreciate you coming, Ronan. We know how busy you are, and it really means a lot that you took the time to drive up here.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” He means it. He’ll be eternally grateful to Matthew for, in a sense, giving him his brother back. Ashley grins at him again, then wanders away. 

“I, uh. I didn’t bring, like, a gift. But I figured that I would offer my services as a babysitter for when the kid gets a little older? For when you and Ash just need the time to yourselves.” Ronan admits.

“That’s the best gift you could’ve gotten us.” Declan is joking, a little. Ronan bumps their shoulders together. 

“Hey, I mean it.” 

“I know.” There’s a pause for a moment. 

“Ronan. Ashley and I were talking, and we were wondering,” Declan pauses to take a breath. “Do you want to be the godfather? You don’t have to, obviously, but you’re our first choice and-” Ronan cuts Declan off by pulling him into a hug.

“I would love to. Thank you.”

“Thank  _ you _ .” Declan steps back. “I should go tell Ashley.  _ You _ should mingle. I hear that farm of yours gets a little lonely.”

Ronan shrugs. “I’m doing fine.”

“Sure. But wouldn’t you like to be good, or great?” 

“Maybe. But who has the time?” Ronan shrugs again. Declan laughs. 

“Whatever you say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know if there's anything you super want to see in this story either by commenting here or by dropping me a message on my [tumblr](http://steve-rogers-trash.tumblr.com)


	7. Blue and Gansey: Year Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in my head, the twins were born at some point in the winter and it makes sense that they're two. i don't know if that translates, but here we are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is shorter than usual and i'm sorry for that but i'm feeling a little stuck with blue and gansey at the moment and quite frankly i'm glad i got this much on the plage

Gansey glances up the stairs, hoping against hope that Blue will stay in the spare room they’ve been using as an office. She’s finally picked up more than one project, maybe because it’s the end of the year and Gansey has more time to just be home with the family. Though he thinks that she might be feeling a little stir crazy, too. He can’t blame her. 

The twins are sitting together, content in front of the TV, paying more attention to each other than whatever cartoon is playing. Gansey, for his part, is sitting cross-legged on the couch sifting through Google results on activities for a birthday party for two year olds. There are more options than he thought, though a lot of them seem to be for the amusement of the adults more than the children. Gansey sighs. He might call Helen, see what she has to say about it. He won’t bother Blue just yet, promised her that he could at least come up with some options for them to talk about once she gets some of these designs out of the way. 

Gansey stares at the screen for another minute before he closes the laptop. The twins won’t be two for a few months yet, the party planning can wait. For now, he just wants to spend time with his babies. 

There are toys scattered throughout the house, but Noah and Ella each have a stuffed animal that they won’t go anywhere without. Gansey slides off the couch and scoots over to where the twins are sitting, babbling to each other in a language that only the two of them can understand. They started really talking somewhere near the six month mark, and they’re good about letting people know what they need, but they’re content to communicate in whatever language they’ve made up for themselves when it’s just the two of them. 

“Dada!” Ella calls, delighted. Gansey grins at her. 

“Hello, baby girl.” He reaches towards her and she stands up, using her brother for leverage. Gansey laughs and both Ella and Noah join in, happy to be happy. Gansey loves them more than anything. 

When Blue comes downstairs later, she finds the three of them on the floor in the living room, both twins on Gansey’s lap, talking nonsense and laughing. She grins, then sneaks back upstairs for a nap. 

\--//--

The birthday party goes well. All of Ella and Noah’s preschool friends are there, and the Ganseys and the women of Fox Way. It’s a miracle that is goes as well as it does, but Maura said it would, and they’ve never had any reason to doubt her. 


	8. Adam: Year Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we're back with Adam! i love writing him, he makes it so easy lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, i'm actually updating on time, who would have thought XD

Adam is sweating. There’s a frankly alarming amount of flatpack furniture in pieces on the floor in front of him and Molly is being decidedly unhelpful. In her defense, the baby is due in a matter of weeks, and they probably should have started this weeks ago. 

“Molls, did we get the f… fol… fol-jah? This drawer part?” He points to the instructions. 

“Yeah, they’re by the window.”

“Okay, right.” Adam keeps muttering to himself as he puts everything together. They’re putting the nursery in the spare bedroom of Adam’s apartment.  _ Our apartment now, _ Adam reminds himself. It had been Molly’s idea, actually, for them to move in together. She’d taken leave from med school to have the baby and her lease was up anyway, she’d reasoned. Adam was mostly glad that she would let him take care of her.

\--//--

Adam is doing his best to stay calm. Molly is already freaking out, and he feels like one of them needs to be level headed enough to get them to the hospital, because Molly’s water just broke and they need to  _ go _ . 

“Oh god. Okay. Car. Let’s get in the car.” Adam says. Calm isn’t really working for him. He checks for his phone, his wallet, his keys, then grabs the go bag that’s been sitting by their front door for weeks. It’s time.

The delivery room is chaos. Molly had wanted some of her med school friends to be there, and Adam wasn’t about to tell her that she  _ couldn’t _ , even if he didn’t particularly like them. He wasn’t the one pushing an entire human being out of his body. Blue and Gansey are sitting in the waiting room - Helen and her partner were visiting for the weekend and promised to take care of Noah and Ella for a while. Adam is beyond grateful for the timing; he has no idea what to do, but Blue and Gansey are fantastic parents. They’ll know. 

“Adam?” Molly calls. “Do you want to hold her?”

Adam can’t answer, just nods and crosses the room to stand next to the bed. To hold their baby. God, he’s a  _ father _ . Him. Adam Parrish.

“What’s her name?” The nurse asks. Adam opens his mouth to tell her - after ages of going back and forth, he and Molly had decided to name her Addison - but Molly cuts him off.

“Emily. Emily Grace Parrish.” She says. Adam looks at her, question written clear on his face. Molly shakes her head.

“Later.” She whispers. Adam shrugs. Molly’s been acting weird for a while now. 

“Hello, Emily.” He whispers, turning his attention back to the baby - his baby - in his arms.  _ She’s so small _ , he thinks.  _ So beautiful _ . 

“She’s perfect, isn’t she?” Molly murmurs. Adam moves to hand her back to Molly, but she shakes her head. 

“You hold her. I need a minute.”

“Whatever you need, Molls.” He misses the pained look that flashes across her face. 

They take turns feeding her, having opted to start her on formula from the beginning so that Molly can get back to school as soon as possible. 

Which, looking back on it, Adam finds funny. Molly had kept him so busy building flat pack furniture that he hadn’t noticed her filling out abroad applications. Most of her things had still been packed away from the move. When she left, the place hardly looked different. 

_ Adam,  _

_ You’re already a better parent than I’ll ever be. So I’m leaving. Already, I can tell that you love her so much. Honestly, I don’t know that I do. She’ll be better off with you than she would be with me. I might stay in Europe. I don’t know. You don’t have to tell her about me. In fact, it might be better if you don’t.  _

_ Good luck. I’m sorry.  _

The note isn’t signed, but it doesn’t need to be. Adam knows that it’s from Molly, recognizes her handwriting, the way that her hand smudged the paper. There are no tear stains on the page, but Adam leaves fresh ones of his own. 


	9. Ronan: Year Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we come back to Ronan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so first, this is going up ON TIME! woo!! because I had this done on Thursday! whoop!
> 
> this chapter is... a lot. warnings for hospitals and death (not described, but it happens. more info in the end notes). it's also a lot longer than other chapters so far, but I'm hoping that they do get longer from here on out. 
> 
> also a heads up that next chapter starts after a substantial time skip (five years!!) so that we aren't just watching people interact for too many chapters with nothing else happening

Ronan wakes to his phone ringing right in his ear. He must have fallen asleep on the couch at some point early in the evening. It’s late now, the only light coming from the TV, washing the room is pale blue light. Ronan sits up and rolls his head around, trying to alleviate the pain in his neck. He hates falling asleep on the couch. 

His phone rings again. He doesn’t recognize the number, but it’s the same one as before. Ronan sighs before he answers. 

“Lynch.”

“Is this Ronan Lynch?” Ronan hesitates before he answers. He doesn’t recognize the voice on the other end of the line, but it might have something to do with the farm. Although… at 4 in the morning?

“Yes. Can I help you?”

“My name is Jordan Miller. I work at George Washington University Hospital. You’re listed as Declan Lynch’s emergency contact if his wife is not available.”

“What happened?” Ronan asks. He’s suddenly grateful that he didn’t get any farther than the couch - it means he’s still dressed, only needs to put on shoes before he goes.

“We’re just going to need you to come in, Mr. Lynch.”

“Okay, yeah, I’m leaving now.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lynch.” 

Ronan doesn’t remember the drive into DC. He just knows that he had to get there, so he did. Declan needs him. He’s pretty sure that he called Matthew on his way in, but he’s not sure. The drive is a blur, lost in the panic and anxiety induced by a vague phone call from a hospital. 

There is, blessedly, a space for the BMW when Ronan pulls up in front of the emergency room. On his way inside, he texts Matthew an update, because his phone history says that he called and, hopefully, explained rather than just babbling at Matthew for a few minutes before hanging up. Ronan takes a deep breath before he walks up to the reception desk. 

“Can I help you?” The nurse asks pleasantly.

“Uh, I’m looking for Declan Lynch and his wife? He’s my brother.” Ronan’s words come out too quickly, but the nurse nods like she understood anyway. 

“Mr. Lynch is still in surgery. You’re welcome to wait here.”

“And his wife? Ashley?” Ronan asks. The nurse frowns.

“I’m not sure, sir. But I’ll let the doctors know you’re here.” 

Waiting is agony. By nature, Ronan is an impatient person, but this… this is the worst. He doesn’t know if Declan is okay, or if Ashley is even here. His thoughts are going at a mile a minute, but he can’t focus enough to get a grasp on what they are. He calls Matthew again. 

“I’m on my way.” Matthew says. “If… if they couldn’t call Ash, it’s bad. I’ll be on a plane in half an hour.”

Ronan can’t bring himself to protest. He needs Matthew here.

“I can pick you up from the airport.” He offers.

“No, I’ll get a cab or something. You should stay there.” Ronan nods before he remembers that Matthew can’t see him. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” They talk for another minute before Matthew has to go. 

“Thanks for coming.” Ronan says.

“Of course.”

Ronan goes back to waiting, wondering vaguely if he should get in touch with some of the people that work the farm. He tries as much as he can to be out there with them, but sometimes he just can’t make it happen. He’s just pulled his phone out when the doctor calls his name.

“I’m Ronan Lynch.” He stands up to greet the doctor. 

“I’m afraid I have bad news, Mr. Lynch. Your brother and sister-in-law were hit by a car last night. They were rushed here, but I’m afraid that there wasn’t much we could do. Mrs. Lynch was… gone before they arrived here, but your brother, Declan… his surgery was not successful. I’m sorry.”

“What about their daughter?” Ronan asks. He can deal with the rest of this later. The only way he can keep it together right now is by focusing on Opal. 

“She was not with them.”

“Okay, okay.” Ronan nods. 

\--//--

Ronan picks Matthew up from the airport. There’s no reason not to. The airport is between the hospital and Declan and Ashley’s house anyway. He’s been in touch with the babysitter, too, had to tell her what happened, that he would be around soon. She had sounded upset. 

Matthew seems less confused than Ronan thought he would be when he sees the BMW outside.

“They’re gone?” He asks. Ronan nods. “Where are we going?”

“Alexandria. Opal wasn’t with them.” Matthew visibly relaxes. 

“Good. I’m glad she’s okay.” Ronan can hear that he’s upset, though, and reaches over to put a hand on his shoulder. After a moment, they drive away.

\--//-- 

The house seems strangely empty when Ronan and Matthew get there. The babysitter leaves quickly, refusing to accept payment other than what Declan had left in an envelope for her. Opal is quiet, almost like she knows something is wrong. Ronan holds her close, won’t put her down. Matthew doesn’t push him. 

The lawyer says that Declan and Ashley had been incredibly prepared, that they had thought about this when they created their wills. 

_ What kind of 25 year olds have wills?  _ Ronan thinks.  _ Who feels like they need to prepare for shit like this? _ The answer, of course, is the kind of 25 year olds with small children who they don’t want to end up in the foster care system. 

“Ronan?” The lawyer asks. “Were you listening?”

“No, I’m sorry… I…” Ronan shakes his head.

“Mr. and Mrs. Lynch made it very clear that, in the case of their untimely death, you become the guardian for Opal Catherine Lynch.”

“Yes. Yes of course.” Ronan agrees immediately. If there’s nothing else he can do for Declan, he can make sure that his baby girl grows up happy and loved. Matthew grins at him from the other side of the room. Ronan’s life just got a lot more complicated, but as he looks down at the baby in his arms, he can’t bring himself to care. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in this chapter, Declan and Ashley die in a car crash that is not described but is talked about. Ronan is upset by this, but doesn't really express that out loud.


	10. Blue and Gansey: Year Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We come back to Blue, Gansey, Ella, and Noah 
> 
> (the twins are about 7 at this point, definitely in second grade)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a quick note about the next couple chapters: we won't see Ronan and Adam meet again, because that's the fic that started this whole thing in the first place, but we will see what happens after that (obviously). Emily and Opal are both in kindergarten, so about 5 (in my head, Blue and Noah are making a cake for Emily's fifth birthday)
> 
> also, starting in the middle of next week, it will be finals for me. i'll do my best to update as usual (so monday/tuesday) but i'm not promising anything. if i miss an update, it will be coming eventually, and hopefully not too long after it's supposed to go up.

“Mommy, can I help?” Noah asks. He’s been watching Blue cook and asking careful questions as she adds ingredients. 

“Of course, baby.” Blue grins at him. “Do you want to stir?” Noah nods. 

“Alright, let’s get a chair…” she pulls a chair from the kitchen table up to the counter, then helps Noah up so he can stand. “Now take this and stir until there are no more lumps.” She hands him a whisk then turns to start preheating the oven. 

“Is the cake for Emmy’s birthday?” Noah asks. 

“Yep. And I bet she’ll be super excited to hear that you helped.”

It had been important to Blue and Gansey and Adam that the kids all be friends. Hell, it had been important to them for the kids to  _ have  _ friends. Emily had been… kind of built in. She’s such a sweet girl, though, and Blue and Gansey are glad to finally be able to repay Adam for all the babysitting he did for them when the twins were so little. Emmy stays with them when Adam has to travel for work or when he’s clearly overwhelmed and just needs the day to himself. 

“Mommy, is this good?” Noah asks. Blue leans over his shoulder. 

“Looks great.” She gives it a final stir for good measure, then enlists Noah’s help to pour the batter into pans. 

“Where’s your sister?” Blue asks, helping Noah to the floor then putting the chair back where it belongs. Noah helps her - carefully, so carefully - but the tins in the oven. 

“Upstairs with Daddy.” Noah shrugs. Ella has grown to be quite the bookworm, which Gansey is more equipped to nurture than Blue is. He’d been panicked, at the beginning, that she was already so similar to the way that he’d been when he was that age (he’d had trouble making friends as a child because of it), but Blue reminded him that she had Noah to help her with that until she could do it on her own. After that, Gansey had taken Ella on weekly trips to the library, and the two of them spent a lot of time together in the study. 

\-- 

“Daddy,” Ella starts. Gansey looks up from the papers in front of him. Honestly, he’s grateful for the distraction. He’d known before he’d agreed to do it that teaching a freshman course would be hard. He’s still not sure why he agreed to it anyway. But these essays have been waiting for a week, they can wait a little longer. 

“What’s up, buttercup?” Gansey asks. 

“Me and Noah want to get Emmy something for her birthday.”

“Yeah? What were you thinking?” 

Ella shrugs. Gansey nods. 

“Alright. Why don’t we talk to mom and see what she has to say? You and Noah can decide, then we’ll figure out a plan from there.”

“Okay.” Ella grins up at him. Gansey is reminded of the first time he held her, the overwhelming love he’d felt for his baby girl that hasn’t gone away. 

“I’ll race you.”

\--//-- 

Blue pushes open the door to the lecture hall slowly, hoping to something that Gansey doesn’t notice. He’d been so upset that the university’s spring break hadn’t lined up with the kids’, but they’d all assured him that it would be fine. 

Blue nods to Noah and Ella. They rush towards the front of the room, screaming “daddy!” as they go. Blue grins as she steps inside, closing the door behind her. Gansey looks stunned, but he recovers enough by the time the kids reach him to bend down to pull them both into a hug. 

“What are you doing here?” He asks, laughing. 

“We missed you.” Noah says. 

“And we were bored.” Ella adds. Gansey’s class laughs. 

“Hang on a second.” Gansey says. He stands up to face the class again.  “I’m calling it for today.’ He announces. The class cheers. “I’ll see you for the exam next week, and if you have any questions, you can email me. Good luck with your studying.”

“We figured that this would be okay, since you said you were just reviewing today.” Blue says. Gansey’s answering grin is brilliant.

“More than okay.” He says. He pulls the twins in again, pressing kisses to their heads, then stands to greet Blue.

“I needed this.” He admits. 

“I know.” She leans up on her toes to kiss him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, Gansey fell down the stairs when he raced Ella. Yes, everyone laughed at him
> 
> i'm on [tumblr](http://steve-rogers-trash.tumblr.com) if there's anything you really want to see in this fic, if you have an idea for another fic, or if you just want to scream at or with me


	11. Adam: Year Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hello! this beginning of this chapter occurs immediately after [the work that inspired this in the first place](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17693582)
> 
> shoutout to the anon that gave me the inspiration for this chapter!

“Adam,” Blue starts, “what are you trying to say? All I’m getting is a lot of babbling.”

“When I picked Em up from school today, she was talking to this other little girl.”

“That’s good, she’s making friends.”

“Yeah. But the other little girl’s dad is  _ wildly attractive _ .”

“Okay, first, who says shit like ‘wildly effective’? Second,  _ good _ . It’s been so lo-” Blue cuts herself off, but Adam knows what she meant. It’s been so long since he had someone in his life. 

“Sorry.”

“No, you’re right. I know you’re right. I just… with Em…”

“You need to be careful. Maybe you should try being friends with this guy first. What’s his name?”

“Ronan Lynch. Oh god, Blue, I don’t even know if he’s single.”

“Know how you’ll find out? Being his  _ friend _ . Now, you work on friendship, because I have to go.” She doesn’t say goodbye before she hangs up, but it makes Adam laugh. Crises aside, his friendship with Blue has never changed. 

\--//--

Adam is panicking. There are too many things happening at once and he’s not entirely sure how to deal with any of them. 

Most importantly, Emily is sick. And it’s not that she’s never been sick before, she  _ has _ . It’s just that she’s never been sick like this before, and now there’s not anyone around to coach him through it this time. Part of Adam wishes that he could call his mom, but he’s not opening that can of worms. And he’s not sure she’ll be much help anyway. 

Through the panic, he manages to keep checking on Em, getting her things she needs, taking her temperature. He debates calling her pediatrician, but it’s four am and the office doesn’t open until eight. 

“She doesn’t need to go to the ER.” Adam mutters. Her temperature last he checked was at 100, and Adam’s ninety percent sure that this is just the flu. 

“God knows what gets passed around a kindergarten classroom.” And that’s when it hits him. He can text  _ Ronan _ . Not that he’s 100% sure that Ronan will have a better idea than Adam himself does, but he thinks it’ll probably make him feel better. 

**_To: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_any advice for dealing with the flu? Em’s fever is at 100_ **

**_From: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_cold damp washcloth on her forehead_ **

**_From: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_do you have any tylenol? should bring the fever down_ **

**_To: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_thank you_ **

**_To: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_wait, why are you awake right now_ **

**_From: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_sleep is for the weak_ **

Adam shakes his head. Ronan’s sleep habits or lack thereof aren’t his business. And he’s thankful for the advice. Em’s face unpinched almost immediately after he put the washcloth on her forehead. She’s settled now, sleeping better than she has all night.

“I’m just gonna… lay down for a minute.” Adam mutters, brushing Em’s hair back from her face one more time. He hates that she’s uncomfortable and there’s so little he can do about it. He’s her  _ dad,  _ he should be able to help her, to fix all her problems while he still can.

**_From: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_one more thing_ **

**_From Ronan Lynch:_ **

**_stop freaking out_ **

**_To: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_how’d you know?_ **

**_From: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_been there. you’re doing fine. she’s gonna be fine_ **

**_To: Ronan Lynch_ **

**_thank you_ **

Adam falls asleep sprawled sideways across his bed, phone on his chest. Emily had been asleep for a full half an hour, and he’d given her tylenol less than an hour before he’d texted Ronan, and she can’t have any more for hours yet. He’ll call the pediatrician in the morning, but he thinks that Ronan is right. They’re gonna be fine. 

  
  



	12. Ronan: Year Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we get some more of the kids in this one, and also some more Ronan and Adam

Ronan is already regretting signing up to chaperone this field trip. He’s not even sure why kindergarteners need to  _ go  _ on field trips. They’re just as happy learning about sharks and shit in their own classroom. But Opal had asked, and Ronan has trouble telling her no, especially when it’s simple things like this, things he can do, no problem. She hasn’t asked him for something he couldn’t do yet, but he figures it’s only a matter of time before she asks him about her parents. Ronan doesn’t know what he’ll do when that happens. 

But the aquarium should be  _ fine _ , Ronan figures. And maybe that hot dad -  _ Adam,  _ Ronan reminds himself - will be there. Ronan doesn’t think he could be that lucky, but he can hope. 

\--//--

Adam is there. 

He’d been standing awkwardly at the back of the classroom when Ronan walked in, clearly separated from the rest of the parents - moms, mostly - there. He grins when Ronan walks in, though, raises his eyebrows like he’s asking if Ronan’s going to the fucking aquarium too. Ronan nods. Inexplicably, Adam’s smile grows. Ronan tells himself he won’t read into it (it’s too late. He’s already trying to figure out how to get Adam to smile like that again). 

Opal makes her way to her desk, already ignoring Ronan in favor of her friends, which is a good thing, Ronan reminds himself. Even if it makes him long for the days where he’d been her very best friend, when she told him every thought that crossed her mind. Even the ones he hadn’t been sure how to help her with. 

“Hey, Ronan.” Adam greets.

“Hey. man. So, the aquarium, huh?” Ronan raises an eyebrow. Adam shrugs. 

“It’s hard for me to get days off, so I figured I’d go for the brownie points earlier on.” 

“Smart, smart. What do you do?” Ronan hopes he’s not being intrusive or anything, but Adam doesn’t seem to mind the question. 

“I’m a civil engineer. Work for the city. Which makes it hard to get to last minute time off, you know? Especially in the spring, when things get wet and go wrong.” He laughs. “What do you do?”

“Oh, uh. I… I run a farm outside the city. Not quite as impressive, I know, but…” Ronan trails off, shrugging. 

“What, no? That’s great. That’s so cool. Opal must love it. Em’s always telling me that she loves to spend time outside.”

“Yeah, we have a good time.” 

The conversation stops as the kids get up to start putting their coats on and both Opal and Emily make their way over to make Ronan and Adam, respectively, help with the coats and carry their lunch boxes. Ronan is momentarily distracted by how good Adam is with his daughter. Opal nudges his shoulder to get his attention again. 

“Ready to go, then?” He asks. Opal nods. 

“I’m so excited!”

\--//-- 

They make small talk throughout the morning, gravitating towards each other whenever they have a free minute. The only thing is, the moms won’t leave Adam alone either. From the outside, Ronan can see how maybe he was being a little creepy, too. But Adam would tell him, right? He thinks they’re good enough friends for that. Hell, he’d hope that they wouldn’t need to be friends for that. 

Adam makes polite enough conversation with the moms, especially  _ Karen _ , who, in Ronan’s opinion, can’t shut the fuck up soon enough. But Adam doesn’t say anything that isn’t expressly kind, and,  _ god _ , Ronan finds him so attractive. He tries to reign it in, but it’s hard. Especially when he’s right there. 

“How do you feel about Karen?” Adam asks later, when they have a minute to sit down. The kids are eating lunch and chatting about the exhibits they say that morning, and the moms have congregated around one table with the teacher. 

“She… seems nice?” Ronan tries. Adam laughs.

“I don’t like her either. The fact that she keeps hitting on me doesn’t help either.” He sighs. 

“Yeah, well, I’m sure it doesn’t help that you’re what, ten years younger than them?” Ronan laughs. 

“But you are too! Why aren’t they hitting on you too?” Adam asks. He’s laughing too, though, and Ronan thinks he’s radiant. 

“Because I’m scary. And super gay.” Ronan shrugs. Adam nods like he’s said something profound. 

“That would do it. But I’m not interested in late-thirties married women.” Adam confides. “Got my eye on someone else.” 

“That so?” Ronan asks. His heart is racing. Adam gives a look that Ronan thinks might mean something, if he’s reading this right. 

“Yeah. So I’m waiting to see how that shakes out.” Adam shrugs, then gives Ronan another look. That one definitely meant something.

“Maybe you should just go for it.” Ronan is immensely proud that his voice comes out even. Adam raises an eyebrow.

“Maybe I should.” He grins slowly. Ronan thinks he might be blushing. Luckily, he’s saved by the teacher standing up from her spot with the moms and calling for the kids to clean up and get in line, or they’ll be late for the dolphin show. 


	13. Blue and Gansey: Year Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue and Gansey babysit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i missed last week, but i finished my finals last saturday and spent all of sunday moving out of my dorm and getting home. hopefully, this chapter makes up for it :)

Blue sighs as Opal runs past her, Noah hot on her heels. Blue loves having all the kids over, she does. And Gansey thrives on the chaos, chases the kids around the backyard or, in the bad weather, like today, around the house. Blue sighs again. The house is going to be a mess tomorrow, but she can’t quite bring herself to care. Adam and Ronan deserve a break. Handling two six year olds is hard enough on its own, but when those two six year olds are Opal and Emily, and when you’re navigating a new-ish relationship… well, taking the girls for the weekend was the least Blue and Gansey could do, especially after all the babysitting Adam did for them when the twins were little. Well, littler than they are now. 

“Mommy,” Ella asks, stopping short in front of Blue. “When is lunch?”

“Soon, baby girl. Wanna start rounding everyone up?”

“Even daddy?”

“Daddy has to eat too, doesn’t he?” Blue counters. Ella nods thoughtfully. 

“You’re right.” She agrees. Blue grins as she runs off again. 

Lunch itself is relatively uneventful, with only a few fights between dinosaur chicken nuggets and one roll meteor. Gansey encourages them. Blue loves it. 

The kids run off again when they’re done, and Gansey stands to start clearing the table. Blue follows mechanically, lost in her own thoughts. 

“What are you thinking about?” Gansey asks. Blue rests her thumb on her lip. It’s a habit that she’d picked up form Gansey, and he grins when he sees her do it.

“Have you ever thought about…” Blue pauses for a moment. 

“About what?” Gansey prompts. Blue looks up at him, meets his eyes. 

“About having more kids.” Blue admits. Gansey beams at her. 

“All the time.” It sounds like a confession. Blue should have known, they’re so often on the same page. “Blue, I would love to have more kids. One, more than one… I’m up for anything, as long as I’m doing it with you.”

“You’re such a  _ sap _ .” Blue laughs, but she lets Gansey pull her in by the waist, press a kiss to her mouth. She leans up to kiss him back, lets the world wash away and just gets lost in the man that she loves, that she vowed to spend the rest of her life with. 

“Ewwww!” The moment is broken when the kids come thundering back downstairs, Ella leading the charge. 

“Mommy, daddy,  _ stop _ . That’s gross.” Noah informs them. Gansey pulls back, laughing. 

“A thousand apologies.”

“Grownups are yucky.” Opal decides. 

“Daddy and Ronan never do  _ that _ .” Emily adds. Blue snorts.

“No way they’re better than us.” She whispers to Gansey. He shrugs. 

“Do you guys want to go outside?” This is directed at the kids. 

“But, daddy, it’s raining.” Noah pouts. 

“So what?” 

Opal’s eyes widen. “That’s a great idea.” And with that, Gansey leads the charge out into the rain, leaving Blue laughing just inside the back door. 

\--//--

Gansey is the only one to get sick. The kids are fine, go back to school on Tuesday after the long weekend. Gansey has to cancel at least two classes. 

“It was your idea.” Blue reminds him when he complains about it.

“You can’t get sick from being in the rain. They proved it was fake.” 

“You  _ can  _ however, get sick from hanging out in wet clothes for ages after coming in from the rain. Especially when the AC is blasting because it’s the beginning of September.” Blue sets a bowl of soup on the coffee table. Gansey himself is on the couch, wrapped in several blankets. The TV is on with the volume low, tuned to something other than the Disney Channel for once. 

“Were you serious?” Gansey asks. “The other night?”

“Yes.” Blue answers. “I would never… yes, I want more kids. I think… I don’t know. At least one.”

“At least.” Gansey’s grin is blinding. Blue had hated it, before she knew him. It’s one of her favorite things now. 

“I’d kiss you, but I don’t want the plague.” Blue jokes. Gansey reaches towards her, pulls her onto the couch. 

“Then come sit with me. WIth all these blankets, you won’t even have to touch me.” He’s laughing. Blue is so in love with him.

“Maybe we can convince Adam and Ronan to take the twins this weekend.” Blue murmurs. “But only if you’re feeling better.” She adds. Gansey nods.

“I’m… not up for much of anything right now.” He admits. 

“All you need to do is eat your soup. I’m gonna go get the kids from school. Call if you need anything.” Blue stands as she speaks, starts gathering her things. 

“Blue,” Gansey calls as she’s reaching for the front door. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”


	14. Ronan and Adam: Year Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronan and Adam, together

Adam grins as he pulls away from Ronan. They finally have some time to themselves, and it is glorious. Not that they don’t love the girls, they do. If it weren’t for the girls, they wouldn’t have each other. But sometimes… sometimes you just need time away. Blue and Gansey made sure that Adam knew that didn’t make him a bad parent, even when it felt like it did. Adam - and Ronan - was immensely grateful that they’d been doing this parenting thing longer than he had. Even if it was only for a year. He doesn’t think he’d be able to give anyone advice, let alone someone who needs it as much as he does.  
“I can hear you thinking over there. Tell me about it or stop it and come back over here.” Ronan says. He’s grinning as he leans back into the pillows, the ink of his tattoo standing out sharply against his skin. Adam thinks he’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.  
“Just how lucky I am. I have Em, I have great friends, I have you.” Adam settles back onto the pillows. “My… if you’d asked my parents, I’d never end up happy. Never have anything worth anything.” He looks pointedly at the ceiling. Ronan takes his hand.  
“Hey. None of that.” Ronan admonishes. His voice is suddenly harder, like he’s angry. Not at Adam, he can tell as much. But beyond that, Adam isn’t sure.  
“We’re here, right now. Out there,” Ronan gestures to the window of their hotel room. “Out there, there are two little girls that are counting on us. And, like you said, great friends. How many good things is that? It’s gotta be at least five.” He tacks the joke on at the end, almost like it’s an afterthought. Adam loves him for it.  
“I know, I know. You’re right.” Adam sighs. “It’s just hard sometimes. They… they really did a number on me.” Adam’s laugh is watery.  
“Yeah. My dad… was not the greatest, either. He… he did a lot of things that my mom didn’t agree with. Shady business dealings and all that. My older brother wanted to be just like him. Dad loved that. My mom wouldn’t let that happen to me or to Matthew. So while dad focused on Declan, mom… raised us.” Adam feels Ronan shrug. “And the two of us are better for it.”  
“And Declan?”  
“We were patching things up. It…” Ronan takes a deep breath. “We probably would’ve been friends one day. But he and his wife were killed. Car crash. Opal was just a baby, then. She was their baby. They asked me to raise her. How could I say no?”  
“You can’t. Em… Em was born when I was still in school. Grad school. Molly and I had been going out for a while, but the pregnancy wasn’t planned. She was so excited. We were so excited. But when it came down to it… she just left. Fucked off to Europe, never to be seen again. I would have married her. But now…” Adam shakes his head.  
“A blip on the radar.” Ronan suggests.  
“Exactly.” Adam laughs. Ronan leans over and kisses him. Then kisses him again, harder.  
“Now that all our dirty laundry is out here…” Ronan trails off, then presses another kiss to Adam’s mouth.  
“Mm, yes, I think I follow.” Adam’s words are lost in Ronan’s mouth.  
\---  
They drive back to Virginia late Sunday afternoon, windows rolled down and enjoying the sunshine. It had rained most of the day Saturday, and while they’d been pleased at the excuse to stay inside all day, it was nice to feel the sun and the wind today.  
“You and Em should move in with me and Opal.” Ronan says suddenly, words tumbling out of his mouth.  
“What?” Adam asks.  
“Come live on the farm. There’s no reason for you to stay where you are. The farm is closer to school anyway, and to where Blue and Gansey live.” Ronan had met them fairly shortly after he and Adam had really starting spending time together, and he fell in with the group like he’d always been there, like he’d been a piece they hadn’t known they’d been missing.  
“Yeah. Okay.” Adam can’t contain his grin. He and Em had been to the farm countless times in the last eight or nine months since he and Ronan started seeing each other. Em loves the open spaces, the animals roaming around. Adam loves the company, the idea that Em and Opal could spend mass amounts of time outside without ever getting bored.  
“It makes - oh. I thought you would take more convincing.” Ronan admits. The back of his neck is tinged red. Adam’s grin softens.  
“You’re right. It makes sense. And,” Adam pauses for effect. “I love you.”  
“I love you too.” Ronan reaches over to the passenger side and grabs Adam’s hand. He brings Adam’s hand to his mouth, presses a kiss there without ever taking his eyes off the road.


	15. Year Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe this is the end! and i know last week i said two more chapters, but that was because i forgot how i wanted to end this. so this is it! the end. to be honest, i'm surprised we got this far. 
> 
> shoutout to both of my cheerleaders/brainstorm buddies/people that i could just talk about this to until i figured out where i wanted to go next. y'all know who you are (i hope lol). this would not have been finished without you.

The day Adam Parrish marries Ronan Lynch, the sun is bright, not a cloud in the sky. 

“Last time we did something like this, it was pouring.” Blue says as she straightens Adam’s tie. Adam laughs. 

“And apparently that was good luck.” He glances out the window. Blue scoffs.

“It’s your wedding day. Everything’s good luck.” 

“Let’s hope so.” Adam murmurs. Blue rolls her eyes. 

“You two are solid. It’s gonna be fine.”

\---

Ronan smooths his hands down the front of his suit, brushing off imaginary dust. Behind him, Gansey sighs. 

“You have no reason to be nervous.” 

“And you weren’t, the day you married Blue?”

“Of course I was. I just thought you would appreciate the reminder.” Gansey’s smile is dry. Ronan laughs, but it’s short.

Of all the people that came into his life upon meeting Adam, Ronan gets along the best with Gansey. It had been a surprise, at first, to all of them. But they became fast friends, taking the kids out to museums and parks while Blue and Adam got things done at work or at home. 

“How did you deal with the nerves?” Ronan asks. Gansey laughs. 

“Not well.” He admits. “But it’s really going to be fine. If anything goes wrong, Blue will handle it. Not that anything is going to go wrong. Everything is going to be perfect.”

“I can’t imagine how it wouldn’t be.” Ronan says quietly. Gansey grins. 

“There you go.”

\--- 

Opal and Emily skip down the aisle, arms linked and dropping flower petals out of their baskets. The spread of petals is uneven, of course, but no one cares. Shortly after the girls pass, Adam and Ronan themselves make their way down the aisle, hands clasped together between them. In the front row, Gansey wipes tears from his eyes. He pulls Blue closer to him, hand on her waist. Adam hopes that he and Ronan will be half as happy as they are. 

The ceremony itself is brief, but beautiful all the same. It reflects Ronan and Adam perfectly. The girls, of course, have their own roles, helping with the rings and the vows. It comes together perfectly. 

At the reception, Blue and Gansey give a speech together. They’ve known Adam and Ronan the longest, have been their closest friends ever since Ronan came into their lives. 

They talk about the struggles Adam faced before, without going into too much detail. They tell the guests about the way things changed for all of them when Ronan came into their lives, how he changed things for the better.  Gansey cries, and so does Adam. 

Matthew talks about how much happier Ronan has been since meeting Adam, and Gansey and Blue by extension. How happy Opal is, now that she has friends in Emily and Noah and Ella. How that makes Matthew himself feel better about abandoning Virginia entirely. That draws a laugh, but those who knew Matthew could tell he was being serious. Even Ronan wipes away a tear.

\---

Blue and Gansey take Emily and Opal home that evening. The girls are excited, they don’t have chores when they sleep over. The twins are excited too, they don’t have to do their chores when their cousins come over. 

\---

Adam and Ronan go back to the home they’ve made together. The farm is covered in twinkling lights that both of them are sure Matthew has something to do with. They look to each other, grinning, then Ronan takes Adam’s hand and leads him inside. 

Their first night as a married couple is perfect. 

“This is supposed to be a reflection on the rest of our marriage, right?” Ronan asks the next morning. He’s sitting at the kitchen table in his boxers, watching Adam as he makes breakfast. 

“I think so.” Adam agrees. “Which means that the rest of our lives are going to be perfect.” He slides another pancake onto the stack to his left, then crosses the kitchen to kiss Ronan once, twice, before he heads back to the stove. 

“I love you.” Ronan says, halfway through breakfast. Adam grins at him.

“I love you, too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> if there's anything you'd like to see in this 'verse, or you just want to yell with/at me, let me know on [tumblr](http://steve-rogers-trash.tumblr.com)


End file.
